Social Proof: what it is and how to include it in marketing strategies

The social pro is increasingly fundamental in digital marketing strategies. Brand authority grows thanks to customer opinions, which are an ever-greater purchasing lever.

“We have the best product in the world.” How many times have you read this sentence and turned the page, moved on, or made a U-turn? If there’s oneenemy of digital marketing, it’s self-celebration. In short, if you want someone to recognize the value of your service, product, or brand, make others say it. How? With social proof.

What is Social Proof?

By social proof o , we mean that phenomenon where people tend to emulate the actions of others when they find themselves in situations where they don’t feel they can make a firm and autonomous decision: in the dynamics of purchasing choices, this phenomenon translates into making choices about products or services based on the opinions of others.
The demand for transparency and authenticity from consumers is a trend that has become increasingly evident during the pandemic: in a period when brands had to reshape their marketing and sales strategies, a factor that has acquired crucial importance in the Ltransformation of the relationship between brand and customer is social proof, a phenomenon that demonstrates the need to involve consumers and create value from their contribution.
Customer opinions increasingly fundamental

According to evidence gathered by

Skeepers – European leader in SaaS solutions for customer experience & engagement management and one-to-one marketing – during the first lockdown, the consultation of customer opinions increased by 45%. Reviews of a product or service, which have grown in Italy by 69% since the outbreak of the pandemic, have become a fundamental vehicle for final purchase decisions and have highlighted how consumers have become increasingly wary of brand promises. Those who buy today need proof, and the phenomenon of social proof shows how consumers trust the recommendations of those who have already experienced that product or used that service much more.
To underline the effectiveness of the social proof phenomenon, there are the data: from a study by Capterra, 90% of Italians consult online reviews before purchasing a product or service, while according to a survey by Podium, 93% of surveyed consumers state that online reviews have influenced their purchasing decisions.

Customers increasingly protagonists

Companies also have the opportunity to generate value for their business starting precisely from the contribution of their customers. Making them protagonists, involving them in their growth process is, in fact, a critical success factor that brands should leverage to support loyalty, as customers feel heard and valued. A win-win strategy that aims to transform customers into valuable collaborators through the creation, collection, and distribution of valuable content, making them the best brand ambassadors.

UGC and UGV: new content available to companies

In this context, User Generated Content (UGC), or content generated directly by users, comes into play. From social media posts to reviews, the benefits companies gain from using this original and authentic content are numerous:

• they reassure users and build trust, thanks to their spontaneity and transparency: consumers often describe a product using simple language and highlighting their experiences, thus transferring genuinely useful information to other users;
• they implicitly increase companies’ visibility in search engines, effectively improving SEO;
• they improve the conversion rate which, according to data from Skeepers, triples thanks to reviews published on product pages;
• they reduce doubts during the purchase phase.

UGVs in particular, namely video formats increasingly used by younger generations, are particularly effective because they represent products realistically and in a way more similar to the in-store experience, allowing users to identify with the protagonists of the video.

According to data collected by Skeepers with its User Generated Videos solution, which allows for collecting videos generated by customers and easily integrating them into e-commerce product pages, the average increase in conversions thanks to videos grows by an average of 68%. Furthermore, publishing this content on other channels such as social networks allows for greater dissemination with significant positive impacts on brand awareness and purchases.

Social Proof and Influencers

Social proof also involves Influencer Marketing: new intermediaries such as micro and nano influencers are an integral part of the phenomenon. By creating original content, they help improve the brand’s image, reassuring their community about the value of the products and removing potential barriers to purchase.

In addition to the high engagement rate, one of the advantages that most characterizes the use of these categories of influencers is their authenticity and transparency. Thanks to their content creation skills, they manage to build a strong bond with their followers. Moreover, with nano and micro influencers, it is easier to build a personalized and valuable relationship in support of the brand.

Pubblicato in Digital Marketing, Social Media